COVID-19 Causes Sharp Rise in Anti-Asian Harassment/Hate Crimes

By Tom Oshidari

Not since WWII when Japanese Americans bore the misguided wrath of the Nation over the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Forces of Japan has there been anti-Asian sentiment as has arisen because of the COVID-19 virus.  The hardships caused by COVID-19 have caused people to look for scapegoats on which to blame their troubles. Unfortunately their focus is on China, and lacking the ability to discern Chinese from other Asians or Pacific Islanders, the scapegoaters target all Asians.

Unlike during the WWII era when very few stood up or spoke up for Japanese Americans, today the anti-Asian harassment, though ranging from verbal abuse to physical assault, is thankfully practiced by a minority.  Unfortunately, President Trump’s administration has been part of the problem.  JACL Executive Director, David Inoue, stated in a press release, “As terms like ‘Chinese Virus’, ‘Wuhan Virus’, and ‘Kung Flu’ are increasingly used by the President and other leaders in our country, so do we see the increase of racially-based hate crimes and xenophobia against people of Asian descent. While President Trump has defended his usage of these types of terms as ‘not racist at all’, the impacts on our communities tell a different story.”

On a positive note Director Inoue applauded the House for passing HR 908, a Resolution that condemns anti-Asian sentiment and xenophobia.  Locally the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors passed a similar resolution for which the Chapter submitted a letter of support.  Further, ABC7News recently televised a virtual town hall, “Race and Coronavirus,” an interactive call-in with 12 panelists.

What can you do to help in the fight against xenophobia?  There are a number of websites that allow you to report racial incidents so that the frequency, location, and type can be tracked to better formulate strategies for mitigating such incidents:

Stay safe!